This invention relates generally to imaging systems, and more particularly to a movable imaging system detector support apparatus.
Imaging devices, such as gamma cameras and computed tomography (CT) imaging systems, are used in the medical field to detect radioactive emission events emanating from an object, and to detect transmission x-rays or transmission gamma rays attenuated by the object, respectively. An output, typically in the form of an image that graphically illustrates the distribution of the emissions within the object and/or the distribution of attenuation of the object is formed from these detections. An imaging device may have one or more detectors that detect the number of emissions, for example, gamma rays in the range of about seventy keV to about six hundred keV, and may have one or more detectors to detect x-rays and/or gamma rays that have passed through the object.
Some known imaging systems include a closed ring gantry. To image a patient using a closed ring gantry, the patient ingresses and egresses the viewing area using a long travel bed that moves the patient longitudinally along an examination axis. However, such an ingress/egress configuration requires additional examining room floor space. This additional floor space is not usable during an imaging scan, but must be available during a scan to allow egress of the patient at the completion of the scan. A closed-ring gantry is also known to be less comfortable for the patient due to the claustrophobically close clearances of the gantry to the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,352 describes a gamma camera comprising a gamma camera head. The head is enclosed within a stationary carrier which extends more than 180 degrees (but less than 360°) around the patient. The gamma camera head moves along rails within the carrier to provide nuclear medicine images having views over 180° around the patient.
Nucline™ Cardio-C marketed by Medisco Medical Imaging Systems of Budapest, Hungary, is a dual head gamma camera in which the heads are enclosed within a stationary carrier. The dual heads rotate at least 90° about the patent along rails within the stationary carrier to provide views over a range of 180°.